The prior art is best summarized and disclosed in the inventor's said U.S. Pat. No. 2,876,851. The structure of said patent was quite successful in extensive actual usage for the power weeding of cotton crops from early stages of growth up until a month or few weeks of harvest time, provided that the soil was not sticky or infiltrated with clay, gumbo or other adhesive materials; and also provided that at the time of its operation the soil was not wet. This prior art machine was suspended from a skeleton frame from a tractor or other vehicle adapted to travel between rows of stalk crops. It employed a pair of horizontal axes, rotors driven in opposite directions from gear transmissions connected with the power take-off of the tractor. The two soil-engaging rotors were mounted in forwardly converging relation with the acute angle defined by the two axes, disposed longitudinally of the line of travel of the vehicle. The rotors, each had a plurality of soil-engaging elements in the form of continuous, longitudinal gently spiraled fins, the fins increasing in width from the hub from their blunt noses rearwardly to generate in revolution conical figures being spaced apart to travel and straddle a row of ground stalks, and with the under-portions only of the periperies of said fins engaging the soil. The original construction required bearings for each of the rotors suspended from the supporting frame and disposed inwardly relatively short distances from the blunt front noses of the rotors. Second sets of bearings were required for revolubly mounting the rear portions of the rotors and the driving chains or belts for powering the rotors were disposed just rearwardly of the second set of bearings. It was also essential in the earlier construction to provide plate-like, downwardly extending guards which could press against the stalks of the row, hopefully preventing interference of stalks and displacement thereof in the working of the machine.
In wet and/or sticky condition of the soil, the forward bearings for the rotors were adversely affected and sludge from soil would continue to pack up and accumulate on the continuous spirals of the two rotors. The guard plates were also objectionable after the crops and stalks were more mature and had spread, and with no protection for the driving chains these would be adversely affected and operate often with difficulty in adverse soil conditions.
It is a main object of the present invention to prevent and inhibit all of these adverse conditions regardless of moist or wet soil, or even soil having clay deposits and sticky substances, therein. It is a further object to dispense with any bearings from depending supports which revolubly mount any parts of the actual working elements of the weeding rotors.
A further object is the provision of means for gently replacing the stalks in upraised position and for avoiding accumulation or contact of cut soil or weeds with any of the driving connections at the rear of the rotors.